Comments for Brian http://the-ds.com/brian Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:04:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Comment on Run Amuck! by 2010 Favorites : Brian http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/05/run-amuck/comment-page-1/#comment-906 2010 Favorites : Brian Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:04:30 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2657#comment-906 [...] Run Amuck and the Warrior Dash [...] [...] Run Amuck and the Warrior Dash [...]

]]> Comment on Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by 2010 Favorites : Brian http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/09/blind-descent-the-quest-to-discover-the-deepest-place-on-earth/comment-page-1/#comment-905 2010 Favorites : Brian Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:04:12 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=12555#comment-905 [...] time once again for my yearly favorites! First, in the book category, for non-fiction we have Blind Descent and The Big Short. For fiction, Let the Great World Spin and A Visit From The Goon Squad. Overall I [...] [...] time once again for my yearly favorites! First, in the book category, for non-fiction we have Blind Descent and The Big Short. For fiction, Let the Great World Spin and A Visit From The Goon Squad. Overall I [...]

]]> Comment on I Heart Home Depot Tool Rental by Lucas http://the-ds.com/brian/2009/03/i-heart-home-depot-tool-rental/comment-page-1/#comment-903 Lucas Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:33:36 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2462#comment-903 Thanks for this post. It gave me the confidence to rent this tool myself and snake my own damn sink! It makes me very happy that I no longer have to call an overpriced plumber every time there's a big clog. Thanks again! Thanks for this post. It gave me the confidence to rent this tool myself and snake my own damn sink! It makes me very happy that I no longer have to call an overpriced plumber every time there's a big clog.

Thanks again!

]]> Comment on Father’s Day dinner by Brian http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/06/fathers-day-dinner/comment-page-1/#comment-898 Brian Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:56:38 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2677#comment-898 There was some thought given to getting sangria since the walk from the Metro was so freaking hot, so we got a carafe of Epifanio to start out. Ended up we got a carafe of Prima '07 after that (I don't think any of the suggestions I got were available in carafe). Both were decent, Prima was deeper and more robust. There was some thought given to getting sangria since the walk from the Metro was so freaking hot, so we got a carafe of Epifanio to start out. Ended up we got a carafe of Prima '07 after that (I don't think any of the suggestions I got were available in carafe). Both were decent, Prima was deeper and more robust.

]]> Comment on Father’s Day dinner by Dad http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/06/fathers-day-dinner/comment-page-1/#comment-897 Dad Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:46:34 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2677#comment-897 So what wine did you choose and was it any good? So what wine did you choose and was it any good?

]]> Comment on Beer Madness 2010 by Beer Madness Bracket Busted already : Brian http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/03/beer-madness-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-887 Beer Madness Bracket Busted already : Brian Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:37:18 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2634#comment-887 [...] I have to say I didn't see a couple of these upsets coming. My Final Four for the Beer Madness were Pilsner Urquell, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Troegs Hopback, and Ephemere and [...] [...] I have to say I didn't see a couple of these upsets coming. My Final Four for the Beer Madness were Pilsner Urquell, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Troegs Hopback, and Ephemere and [...]

]]> Comment on The Road by Brian http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/01/the-road/comment-page-1/#comment-885 Brian Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:03:45 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2601#comment-885 I have had similar problems with other books. With the audiobook thing, I absolutely hated <a href="http://the-ds.com/brian/2007/07/saturday/" rel="nofollow">Saturday</a> by Ian McEwan, but maybe I would have liked it more reading it, because it <i>sounded</i> well written, but it bored me listening to the stuffy British guy read it. Looking at the dialogue in The Road especially, there's a lot of "Okay" and repeating what each other said, which would be annoying on audiobook. The ending, and what happened, reminded me of <a href="http://the-ds.com/brian/2009/07/on-the-beach/" rel="nofollow">On The Beach</a>, in which the characters kind of went about their lives while waiting for the nuclear fallout to come along and slowly kill them. That one drove me crazy because I didn't feel like I got any insight into how characters felt about their impending doom. I think I liked The Road though because it was a well-written look at a post-apocalyptic world that didn't focus on the how it happened or how humanity will "recover" or go on, but something more than that. I'm stealing this from the director of the movie, who I thought put it pretty well: "The apocalypse has been around as an idea since ancient times. It's very simple, it's humanity's worst fear. What is it? It's us dying, the world dying.... But that's also why it's not really about bleakness, it's about fear. And actually there's a morality tale about this. We see a man that we project on to, and we can see that his choices, under pressure, we see how he can, understandably, lose his humanity. And it's actually the boy that gives him back that humanity." He also said that McCarthy made him keep in just four lines of dialogue: The Boy: "What would you do if I died?" The Man: "I'd want to die too, so you could be with me - so I could be with you." And that was the kind of thing that really stuck with me. The last line of my review should tell you something. This book has gotten more comments than any other review I've written in quite a while. And that's what is great about reading, that people can have totally different opinions of the same work. I have had similar problems with other books. With the audiobook thing, I absolutely hated Saturday by Ian McEwan, but maybe I would have liked it more reading it, because it sounded well written, but it bored me listening to the stuffy British guy read it. Looking at the dialogue in The Road especially, there's a lot of "Okay" and repeating what each other said, which would be annoying on audiobook.
The ending, and what happened, reminded me of On The Beach, in which the characters kind of went about their lives while waiting for the nuclear fallout to come along and slowly kill them. That one drove me crazy because I didn't feel like I got any insight into how characters felt about their impending doom.
I think I liked The Road though because it was a well-written look at a post-apocalyptic world that didn't focus on the how it happened or how humanity will "recover" or go on, but something more than that.
I'm stealing this from the director of the movie, who I thought put it pretty well:
"The apocalypse has been around as an idea since ancient times. It's very simple, it's humanity's worst fear. What is it? It's us dying, the world dying.... But that's also why it's not really about bleakness, it's about fear. And actually there's a morality tale about this. We see a man that we project on to, and we can see that his choices, under pressure, we see how he can, understandably, lose his humanity. And it's actually the boy that gives him back that humanity."
He also said that McCarthy made him keep in just four lines of dialogue:
The Boy: "What would you do if I died?"
The Man: "I'd want to die too, so you could be with me - so I could be with you."
And that was the kind of thing that really stuck with me.
The last line of my review should tell you something. This book has gotten more comments than any other review I've written in quite a while. And that's what is great about reading, that people can have totally different opinions of the same work.

]]> Comment on The Road by Shane http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/01/the-road/comment-page-1/#comment-884 Shane Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:00:04 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2601#comment-884 Man, I just thoroughly disagree on this. Now, granted, I listened to the audiobook and I may have been reacting to the annoying guy who read it, but I just thought it was super-repetitive. I just felt like nothing <em>happened</em>. Man, I just thoroughly disagree on this. Now, granted, I listened to the audiobook and I may have been reacting to the annoying guy who read it, but I just thought it was super-repetitive.

I just felt like nothing happened.

]]> Comment on The Road by Dad http://the-ds.com/brian/2010/01/the-road/comment-page-1/#comment-883 Dad Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:56:54 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2601#comment-883 I still think that the ending was kinda lame. I still think that the ending was kinda lame.

]]> Comment on 2009 Favorites by Dad http://the-ds.com/brian/2009/12/2009-favorites/comment-page-1/#comment-882 Dad Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:31:42 +0000 http://the-ds.com/brian/?p=2590#comment-882 No you didn't you lazy ass. It would have helped looking at the pictures to know what the hell we were looking at. No you didn't you lazy ass. It would have helped looking at the pictures to know what the hell we were looking at.

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